Surgical procedures require time-consuming suturing of soft tissue. Generally, suture needles with attached suture strands are grasped either manually or by forceps and passed through the desired work site so a knot can be tied. In endoscopic procedures, where access to the work site is inherently limited, surgeons must use auxiliary devices to be able to pass suture strands through desired tissue.
Various instruments and techniques have been developed for surgical repairs requiring the passing of sutures to otherwise difficult to access locations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,932 discloses an elongated suture passer which deploys a circular suture carrier to pierce tissue. By this action, the suture is passed through the soft tissue and into a tip catch. The suture carrier disengages and the elongated suture passer can be retracted, leaving the suture intact. While suitable for joining relatively stable soft tissue, such elongated suture passers have no means for securing the surrounding tissue. Additionally, the elongated suture passer must be inserted into the work site, which is problematic if the work site is too small to accommodate such an instrument.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,638,283 to Thal discloses a surgical suture passer with opposed jaws for grasping tissue. Once the tissue is grasped, the upper jaw serves as a guide to passing the needle into the hollow lower jaw. The needle is retained in the hollow lower jaw and the device is withdrawn. While suitable for relatively accessible work sites, it is advantageous to have a single device for suturing so as not to crowd the site. Further, the needle could become disengaged from the hollow lower jaw and become lost in the work site.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved suture passing instrument that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and allows a surgeon to quickly, accurately, and easily pass suture through soft tissue.